The invention relates to an apparatus for removing banknote bundles from a multiplicity of banknote magazines, which interact with a separating device and are arranged one above the other in a housing, and for supplying the banknote bundles at an outlet opening, comprising a lift with a receiving container for banknote bundles, which can be moved vertically between a receiving position, which is located beneath a banknote magazine, and a supplying position, which is located in the vicinity of the outlet opening.
An apparatus of the abovementioned type with a plurality of banknote containers is known from German Laid-Open Application DE 36 32 108 A1. In this document, there is arranged, in front of each banknote container, a separating device for banknote bundles which are positioned one behind the other in vertical alignment in the banknote container. Acting on the rear side of the stacks of banknote bundles is a pressure-exerting device, which prestresses the stack of banknote bundles in the direction of the separating device. The separating device comprises a transfer element which, for bundle-removal purposes, acts on the underside of the foremost banknote bundle and raises the same until, under the action of the pressure-exerting device, it tips over the front wall of the banknote container and, in its tipped position, comes to rest on a bundle support. Thereupon, the bundle support is lowered, by virtue of the lift being moved downward, until the banknote bundle, on a sloping plane, slides into the receiving container. The lift then moves in the opposite direction to the next banknote container. The abovedescribed operation is repeated from bottom to top for each banknote container until the lift has reached the supplying position.
The known arrangement is of extremely complex design. Added to this is the fact that the lift, for each removal operation, has to be moved in a first direction, moved back and then moved in the first direction again. This results in constantly alternating positive and negative acceleration operations, which has an adverse effect on the operating speed of the arrangement. The operating speed is also adversely affected by the fact that banknote bundles can only be removed one after the other from the various banknote containers.
The object of the invention is thus to propose an apparatus for removing banknote bundles from a multiplicity of banknote magazines which is a straightforward construction and manages with a small number of different movement operations.
The object is achieved by the features of claim 1.
The separating arrangement and the lift are driven independently of one another and the receiving container of the lift has only a single receiving position for all the banknote magazines located one above the other, said receiving position being located beneath the lowermost banknote magazine, in front of the same. A banknote bundle may be separated from a banknote magazine at any desired point in time, and then free falls into the receiving container. Ignoring the different falling speeds, which are attributable, in particular, to the different air resistances of individual banknote bundles, it is possible in this case for all the banknote magazines to discharge a banknote bundle at the same time. On account of the different falling heights, said banknote bundles will arrive in the receiving container one after the other. In practice, it is sufficient to begin at the lowermost banknote magazine and to provide, from bottom to top in each case, a small time difference between the separating operations of the banknote magazines arranged one above the other. This means that, despite the great likelihood of collision of the individual banknote bundles, a high operating speed is ensured as the various banknote bundles are collated. Following the collation, the lift transports the receiving container into the supplying position.
There are thus only two positions necessary for the lift: a receiving position, beneath the lowermost banknote magazine, and the supplying position. The control of the lift as far as the precise positioning of the receiving container is concerned thus likewise requires only a low level of outlay.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, the banknote magazine has an endless belt stretched horizontally over rollers, at least one of the rollers being in drive connection with a motor. Arranged at a spacing, corresponding at least to the thickness of a banknote bundle, on the endless belt are bars which project from the outside of said belt and are aligned in the direction normal to the movement direction of the endless belt, and the discharge opening of the banknote magazine is located in the vicinity of one of the rollers.
During filling of the banknote magazine, the banknote bundles, at least on the top strand of the endless belt, are fitted in each case into a chamber formed between two adjacent bars. For the purpose of discharging a banknote bundle, the endless belt is driven such that its top strand moves in the direction of the discharge opening. In this case, the bar closest to the discharge opening pivots about the front roller, the chamber between said bar and the following bar spreads open and the banknote bundle slides from the endless belt via the now downwardly inclined, front bar. A control device ensures that, during each discharge operation, the endless belt only advances by the width of one chamber.
According to a second embodiment of the invention, the banknote magazine has a transporting worm, of which one end is the discharge opening of the banknote magazine and the other end is mounted rotatably and in drive connection with a motor. The interspace between adjacent worm helices serves here as a receiving space for a banknote bundle.
For the purpose of discharging a banknote bundle, the transporting worm is rotated in the direction of the discharge opening. In this case, the banknote bundles mounted between the worm helices move in the direction of the discharge opening until the foremost banknote bundle falls out of the transporting worm. A control device ensures that, during each discharge operation, the transporting worm only executes one revolution.